The Nightmare Legion Ep 7
by Mynerva
Summary: Friend or Foe. A frightening realisation for Hope almost destroys him and places both him and one of his new friends in danger.


Governor Garrik appeared calm but the man reporting the loss of life of their troops knew this was simply the calm before the storm. The blond beauty stood, her dark uniform hugged her hour-glass figure in all the right places, while the miniature cape draped over her right shoulder fluttered softly. She took the first steps towards the scout who wanted nothing more than to back away, but protocol insisted he stay put.

"How in Hyne's name, did they manage to beat back our entire elite force?" She demanded her voice soft and steady but the tone and menace underlying it made the scouts skin crawl.

"We've had mixed reports ma'am."

"Explain!" She stopped her advance and stood still, her dark blue eyes boring into the top of the scouts head.

"T…they say that Legion arrived and helped beat back our men. While others say it was the boy we were after and his magic. One survivor even reported that the boy and the Legion Commander were working in tandem."

Garrik's eyes narrowed and she slowly turned her head towards the man stood behind her, to the left of her 'throne'.

"This is unexpected." She said and the dark haired man nodded.

"Truly." The mysterious man advanced, walking like he was royalty and speaking as though he had once commanded authority. "But is it not the proof you require that Esthar is working with Legion with the hopes to topple your government?"

"Yes." Garrik waved a hand and dismissed the scout who gladly obeyed; eager to leave having barely escaped a good thrashing for her reputation was not without such blemishes. "It is as you said it would be." She moved to leave the room and the dark haired fellow followed. "But the proof is worthless to me when I do not have the forces or the means to launch an attack. Esthar is a great power with technology we couldn't possibly hope to stand against." She strode to the round table in the centre of her war room and gazed down at the 3D map of their world. "And now that they have access to limitless reserves of magic through this brat and now Legion, it is a war we cannot win."

"And since the attack on Trabia failed, Esthar's gaze will no doubt be cast here."

"You are correct." She looked from the map to the man stood beside her. "Why do you care Raines?"

He turned to her, his expression blank.

"I do not. I simply must ensure this country's survival." He looked back to the map and Garrik, not for the first time, had to admire his handsome features. He was tall and powerful and held himself in such a way that hid his true ideals and goals. A dangerous kind of man she knew, but one that was she was utterly powerless to resist.

"Well, what ever your reasons, at least one of our goals is the same." She turned back to the map before moving to leave the war room, pulling off her cape as she went. "An impossible goal, it would seem. For as soon as President Loire gets wind of what we've done, we will be powerless to resist. I fear it is time I leave."

"You would abandon your people?" For the first time she heard emotion in his voice, and it was disgust.

"Loire wouldn't harm innocents, when and if he gets hold of me however." She smirked. "I do not wish to stand accountable for so-called war-crimes."

"What will it take then?" Raines asked catching her up and Garrik turned slowly meeting his eyes.

"You already know."

"I told you what happened to the weapon I had in mind." His eyes narrowed.

"Ah yes, taken by the demon you spoke of. Orbs imbued with magic, known as 'materia'." Again she searched his eyes for clues of how he could know such things, finding none. She turned and continued her walk into her personal chambers. "If you have another ace up those elegant sleeves of yours, I suggest you use it because if Esthar continues to have an edge in both technology and magic, then it is a loosing battle I have no wish to be a part of."

She shed yet more of her clothing revealing the soft slightly tanned skin of her torso, keeping her back to him she continued.

"I do not know who has sent you to 'watch over' our nation, but so far, you have not done a very good job of it." She turned now hoping to see some reaction in his eyes due to the state of her undress, but again he remained almost emotionless. "You have but one more chance. See that this time, you do not fail."

…

Trabia Garden was once again safe, but the damage that had been done to the newly rebuilt Garden was immense, though mostly cosmetic. The elevator that passed between the floors was a complete wreck and so a temporary one had been hastily built so the various repair crews could negotiate between the floors.

Both Squall and Rinoa exited the small and some-what unsteady platform, the pulley system that had made it possible for them to ascend, creaking and complaining with the weight. Rinoa was very eager to exit it and was first to jump the small gap to the balcony while Squall took a more casual pace, still eyeing the scars left by the attack. He nodded his thanks to the crew that had seen to their ascent, two of which were sporting wounds, one to the head the other with an arm in a sling. Despite their state, they still saluted and Squall gently patted the closest mans shoulder before pressing on.

"It looks so bad." Rinoa said sadly as Squall passed, his head low, jaw set.

"I can't believe they did this…" He didn't bother to hide his anger. This attack was personal. They had just lost Selphie and as if to add insult to injury, this attack on her home turf almost felt like an insult to her memory.

He entered one of the second floor classrooms, most of them had been commissioned as wards for the Infirmary as the amount of injured sky-rocketed into numbers far greater than the little Garden could hope to accommodate. Quistis was in here but thankfully as a helping hand and not a patient. The room was full to burst with injured, every seat and every inch of floor space was occupied by the Cadets who had been lucky enough to escape with their lives. Quistis was busy helping one such Cadet to sit down, handing the injured girl a drink of water before moving to another.

Rinoa didn't waste anytime in greeting the blond woman by taking her in a breath stealing embrace and Quistis almost fell against the dark haired sorceress.

"Thank Hyne you're both here…" Quistis muttered and closed her eyes. Squall watched his second in command very carefully. She was clearly exhausted and he thought for a moment she had passed out in Rinoa's arms, but she pulled back slowly, still clutching Rinoa as she dragged her blearily blue eyes open once again to smile at them.

"What the heck happened, Quistie?" Squall asked using the familiar nick-name. "Zell said Galbadian forces attacked."

"He's right." The blond nodded and then as if she remembered where they were, she bid them to follow and led them from the classroom. "We very nearly didn't survive this attack, I don't know what we would have done if it wasn't for Sonnet, Hope and…"

"And?" Squall urged her on when she paused, almost like she couldn't believe what she was about to say.

"The Legion Commander, Snow."

"Are you serious?" Rinoa asked looking to Squall who must have looked about as shocked as she did.

"I know how that sounds, believe me." Quistis headed to the maintenance stairway and up into the Headmaster's Office, which also served as the bridge for the Garden. "But that's exactly what happened. The Legion came from the mist and started beating back the Galbadian troops. You can ask anyone, they'll all report the same."

Squall shot Rinoa a look as they followed Quistis inside the bridge.

"Do we have communications up yet?" Quistis asked and the crew currently working away reported bad news. "Damn it…" She rubbed her brow and Squall approached looking over the unresponsive controls.

"What caused this?" He asked pressing a few buttons to which nothing happened. The screen simply continued to display the static.

"Everything went down right before the attack, it was probably sabotage."

Squall turned to one of the Cadets who was busy helping the repair crews, he was one of the few who had managed to escape without a scratch and was doing his best to help anyway he could. The young man seemed to sense the Commanders gaze and intensions and stood to attention.

"Get word to Sonnet Baji, she'll be able to get this online."

"Really?" The guy in charge of the repairs of the bridge looked surprised but Squall chose not to answer. He was actually surprised Quistis hadn't already assigned the task to Sonnet but one look at his 'big sister' answered that internal observation.

Quistis was sat now, head in her hands, shoulders hunched in fact her entire posture screamed 'exhausted'. He shared a concerned look with Rinoa who smiled sadly back at him before she approached their dear friend.

Rinoa's hand gently touched Quistis' shoulder seeing the veteran Instructor groan softly and sag against Rinoa who sat herself down and eased Quistis' head onto her lap while Squall crouched and lifted her feet onto the adjoining seats.

"For your sake, I hope she doesn't realise what you just did." Squall muttered smiling kindly up at his partner who simply shrugged, one hand gently brushing the dirty blond strands away from Quistis' face before removing her glasses and folding them neatly.

"She was about to drop." Rinoa explained but he didn't need to hear it, he could see it for himself.

"Can you stay with her till I can get a medical team up here?" He asked as he stood and shrugged his jacket off before laying it over his sleeping friend.

"Of course."

"I need to get this place up and running, there's no way I'm leaving Trabia here to be picked off again. We need to try and get this place mobile and away from the interference."

"The systems barely functioned without problem before the attack, sir." The rather dirty and exhausted tech explained, trying to clean the grease off his goggles with a greasy rag. "It's going to be near impossible now."

Squall sighed and nodded.

"Let's just be glad SeeD don't know the meaning of that word." He added with conviction seeing the tech smile and nod before Squall strode from the bridge.

…

"_Communication systems are back online."_ Squall looked up as the speakers came to life to the sound of Sonnet Baji's announcement and he wiped the sweat from his brow and turned to Zell who looked just as sweaty as Squall felt. Both had shed their shirts as the back-breaking work of trying to move the ruined elevator car from the walkway was more physically demanding that either of them realised. But they had managed to finally cut the ruined husk into manageable segments using blow-torches, which was why they were so hot.

"Keep going." Squall ordered and handed his hand held steel cutter to a nearby Cadet who took over. He jogged over to the wall he had left his shirt and pulled it back on before heading to the nearest intercom.

"Squall here, get me the bridge."

"_Will do my best sir, since the announcement went out, everyone is clogging up the system trying to call home."_

Squall rubbed his eyes and while it pained him to do it, he needed everyone working from the same song sheet, at least for the immediate future.

"Place restrictions on out-going communications. I don't want anyone making any calls until I know this place is secure."

"_Consider it done, sir."_

"Good, now patch me through to the bridge."

"_Aye, sir."_

Squall heard the familiar tone before Sonnet answered.

"_Commander."_ She greeted calmly.

"Sonnet, well done. Could you patch me through to President Loire at Esthar please?"

"_Of course sir, but I feel I should make you aware of what I discovered during my systems repair."_

"What?" Squall stepped out of the way of a number of Cadets who ran by carrying out some of the debris they were clearing.

"_The reason the communications went down in this first place was due to a time activated virus sent from someone within Esthar."_

Squall closed his eyes and silently counted to ten. It was one thing after another and the amount going wrong and the fact that there seemed to be any amount of people working behind the scenes and against them, was starting to annoy him.

"I trust you have traced this virus back to the one responsible?"

"_Of course, sir. Happy Birthday."_

He smirked at the rare show of humour from the cybernetic girl and quickly replaced that smirk with a look of seriousness.

"Good, put me through to Esthar now but monitor the line. Who ever orchestrated this attack might still have access to our communication systems."

"_Understood Commander. Putting you through now."_

…

Hope ran through the halls carrying his own bundle of waste and debris that he had helped clear from the Garden's interior. Since the attack, while utterly devastated that he had lost Snow a second time, he had made it his mission to get the place up and running. Or at least help towards that goal.

He had heard that Squall was back, as a couple of Cadets had mentioned seeing Commander Leonheart. Judging by the Cadets reactions to this news, Squall was quite a celebrity. Hope resisted the urge to boast that he knew the guy personally, especially since a number of those Cadets had been the ones to make fun of him during the brief lessons he had sat through prior to the attack. He decided against such actions as one; that just wasn't his style and two; there were far more important things to be doing.

He jogged out the main doors following the crowd of Cadets who were also running rubble out of there, to dispose of about a half mile from the Garden itself. He felt a little guilty just dumping it like this but, there was nothing else to be done with it and there were many blocked areas they needed to clear to allow repair work to be completed.

He emptied the canvas bag and shook it to get rid of the dust, coughing a little before running back.

"There you are!" Hope stopped and turned seeing Irvine approach, his sniper rifle casually hood over his shoulder.

"Irvine!" Hope ran to the older boy and stopped just shy of wrapping his arms around the guy. He hadn't been seen since the attack and while no one doubted his skills, he and Quistis had been worried none-the-less.

"Hey little buddy." Irvine smiled, though it never quite reached his eyes. With his free hand he reached forward and scrubbed Hope's silver mane. "Didn't miss all the fun did I?"

"If you can call it that." Hope frowned as Irvine seemed to sway and he quickly stepped under the guy putting his arm across his back and holding him up. "Where did you go?" He asked and aimed them back towards Garden.

"I got caught up in tracking this particular group." Irvine leaned a little more on Hope now he was there and the l'Cie done his best to keep him steady. "Got all but one. I need to tell Quistis this."

"I think Quistis is in the Infirmary."

"Is she ok?" Irvine suddenly tensed and their slow walk paused.

"Yeah, just beat. Squall came back and relieved her."

"Then I need to tell Squall." They started off again.

…

Squall held the old style radio to his mouth and spoke into it, looking out to sea seeing the three faint shadows on the horizon.

"_Titan_, come in this is Commander Leonheart." He hoped he had put enough distance between himself and the interference for the radio signal to be picked up. He spoke again and waited.

"_This is _Titan_, Commander. ETA fifteen minutes."_

"Good to hear you Titan, have a request to make."

"_Make it, Commander. We'll oblige if possible."_

"Trabia Garden's rear thrusters are shot. Is it possible you can tow her from your position off the coast?"

"_Unlikely. The lines won't be long enough Commander. Is there anyway you can get Trabia into the water at least?"_

Squall sighed before replying. "Will let you know."

…

Zell grunted as he and six other able strong men struggled to push the last and largest part of the elevator car clear, opting to move it off the walkway rather than carry it out of there. They could clean up what was left of the mess when they knew they were safe, right now; getting Trabia mobile was the priority.

With one last shove the debris finally gave up its hold and slowly it toppled over the side of the walkway and into the ornamental pool below.

Zell smiled and gave a well deserved thumbs up to his crew who cheered the minor triumph. Now they had access to the garage and stables once more and he turned jogging to where he knew Squall to be while the Cadets moved into the transportation storage area to check on the Chocobo's that were housed there.

"Yo Squall." He came to a halt beside his friend and blew out a breath before continuing his report. "We got through; I got a couple of the guys checking it out now."

"Good, I need every working transport and every able Chocobo out front in the next hour."

"Sure, but why?"

"I got word to Laguna; he's sent three cruisers to help us tow Trabia to Esthar so it can be repaired."

"Awesome!" Zell grinned and made a fist punching the air. "But why do we need the smelly birds?" He asked and Squall just shook his head before continuing on to where he had been headed, Zell followed until he saw a familiar face stagger in through the front gates. "Irvine!" Zell bounded towards his friend seeing him let go of the boy he was leaning on and hold his arms out to the shorter man. Zell caught him and literally held him up. "Shit man, you sure know how to make a dramatic entrance." Zell laughed as Irvine simply mumbled for him to 'shut up' and he hoisted the sniper to the closest wall so he could recover a little. "You had us all worried, dude." Zell admitted and gently punched Irvine's shoulder.

"Well, thanks but, I preferred the peace and quiet." It was good to see Irvine joking back, even if the humour didn't quite reach the guys eyes.

"Hey little dude." Zell turned greeting Hope and grabbed the kid by the neck and scrubbed the top of his head as Squall caught up, jogging down the steps.

"It's good to have you back." Squall said seeing Irvine nod, his face more or less hidden by his hat, but the state he was in was clear. Zell let go of Hope as the lad punched him pretty hard in the stomach.

"Ooff! Geeze, kid. You got a heck of a right there."

"Anything to report?" Squall asked getting straight to business and so Hope and Zell stopped their rough and tumbling. Irvine nodded and removed his hat briefly to wipe the sweat from his brow.

"Quistis sent me out to take out the heavy weapons, well when that was done; I found myself cut off and deep behind enemy lines. I managed to keep hidden and I continued to take out any I could…" his voice cracked and he struggled to clear his throat so Hope quickly took out the bottle of water he carried and handed it to him. "Thanks…" Irvine took a long draw from the bottle and handed it back before continuing. "I guess…we were winning by this point but, there was a group of scouts cutting through the troops from the front lines, they were in a frightful hurry…" Irvine grinned, his head suddenly dipped though and he rested his hands on his knees, clearly struggling to hold himself up.

"Get a medic down here." Squall asked Zell who quickly ran towards the Infirmary.

"I'm fine, just bone weary." Irvine offered and slowly sat back up. "The upshot is, at least one of these scouts made it back, I had managed to get my hands on one of their comm. systems, I heard what he reported back." Irvine glanced at Hope before continuing. "I ain't saying its true…I mean even to me it sounds fantastic."

"Snow did help us." Hope provided seeing both SeeD turn to him. "He…he was more like the guy I knew back home. He was almost himself."

"Almost?" Squall asked and Hope nodded sadly.

"I got the impression he was just there for me. He tried to take me with him, if Zell hadn't arrived when he did…"

"Well, he did. And you're safe." Squall reached down and squeezed Hope's shoulder trying to reassure the lad before turning back to Irvine. "So, Galbadia know Legion helped SeeD."

"Yeah." Irvine lowered to rest on his knees again and Squall turned seeing Zell arrive with a medical team carrying a gurney. "Figure you might want to know that. Might be something Laguna needs to be brought up to speed on too."

"I agree."

Irvine sighed when he saw his 'chariot' but he was most definitely too exhausted to protest.

"Get some rest, Irvine." Squall ordered and turned back to both Hope and Zell who followed him back to towards the main walkway. "So, Hope tell me. Have you ever rode a Chocobo?"

…

Hope kicked the friendly yellow bird on and they hit the ground at a sprint. Trabia had Chocobos! This world had Chocobos! Hope had almost choked when Squall had asked him and he gladly accepted the task.

Unlike the Chocobo's of Gran Pulse and Cocoon, these were a lot smaller, without the two long feathery manes that hung from their necks. These birds while smaller and had lost a bit of power because of it, were much more streamline and the speeds they could go surprised Hope.

If Light could see him going this fast, she probably would have had a fit.

He tugged on the reins, his feet secure in the stirrups as he steered the bird he was riding as well as leading a second towards the front of Trabia where at least forty other birds stood each one wearing a harness attached to two lines anchored to the base of Trabia itself.

Hope pulled his steed to a halt and one of the Cadets took the reins as Hope jumped down smiling broadly at Squall who was busy organising everyone, Zell by his side. Hope waved before running back to the stables to get the last two Chocobo's.

…

"Is this even going to work?" Zell asked some what sceptically as Squall positioned the last squad of Cadets at a crucial point around the base of Trabia.

"I can't see why not. Trabia can still hover…"

"No kidding." Zell quipped since the Garden in question was right there three metres above the ground.

"The point is, if we can at least get her moving forward, she should keep going forward till she hit's the water."

"If you say so." Zell still didn't sound convinced. "I'm just not sure we've got enough man power here, that's all."

"We've got six all terrain vehicles and the Chocobo's…"

"I know but still. Trabia's a big girl."

"It'll work." Squall stated as he waved the Cadets past him. "When I give the signal, just pull." He shoved the line into Zell's hands before turning and walking back around the front. Everyone had turned out for this, everyone that could stand anyway. Cadet and SeeD alike stood ready to try and do the impossible and Squall felt a great deal of pride as he looked out over the scene.

The all terrain vehicles were the closest to Trabia, located at regular intervals across her breadth, while the forty Chocobo's were in two long rows at the east and west side of the Garden. The students were at the sides and back, pushing or pulling depending on their location.

He turned once more to the sea, spotting the cruisers his father had sent and seeing the landing craft steadily making their way towards the little beach Trabia would hopefully floating off.

"Now or never." He muttered and waved towards Hope who was mounted on one of the lead Chocobo's. He waved back and jumped off, taking his mount by the reins ready to help her pull. Squall brought his radio to his mouth and spoke to the crew in the vehicles. "Start your engines and slowly apply the gas. Remember, nice and slow." One by one he heard the engines come to life and he silently prayed this to work.

Being located on the east side of the Garden, he waved across at Sonnet who was on the west. She waved back and they both took hold of their lines.

"All right!" Squall shouted over the crowd behind him, hearing Sonnet do likewise in the distance. "Put your backs into it and pull!" As he finished he tugged as hard as he could on the line, every able bodied man, woman and child doing the same. The Chocobo's too did their part; he could hear their squawks of protest and frustration, much like that of their human counter parts.

"Pull!" He called again counting three between each command until pretty soon they all knew the pattern and pulled in time with his internal counting, but still he shouted.

The roar of the six engines could also be heard as the tyres struggled to get traction, but eventually, Trabia started to move. Man machine and beast moving as one, urging the massive structure forwards in time to the beating of his own heart. Squall smiled as he felt their hard work paying off, and he was now able to take a step, rather than stumble and slip.

"That's it! PULL!" He screamed it out, hearing his people answer with their own elated cries as slowly, very slowly, Trabia started to creep towards the beach.

Now she was moving, Squall knew it would be impossible to get her to stop, but that was okay because he didn't want her to. Now she was moving on her own and needed very little encouragement from any of them, but they did have a problem. Squall dropped the line as the students around him cheered, impressed with their work, but his concern was for the people in the vehicles and for the Chocobo's.

"Cut them loose." He spoke into the radio again, hearing the familiar pops as the miniature tanks let got of the tethers and quickly drive either left or right, out of the way of the on coming Garden structure.

"Sonnet, don't forget the birds." He relayed his last instruction, knowing she would see that the Chocobo's on her side were spared a drowning.

Squall rushed forward, just as Trabia hit her first wave, seeing Hope had at least managed to steer the line of yellow birds away from the approaching shoreline. Taking out his Gunblade, he slashed in a downward motion, slicing through the reinforced metal tether, sparing the loyal hard working creatures from being pulled into the sea by Trabia.

"Squall to _Titan_. Is she close enough now?" He asked and was met with silence for a time before he got a reply.

"_Nice work Commander, I didn't think you could do it. I take my hat off to you."_

"Keep the hat; just get my people out of here."

"_With pleasure."_

…

It was finally over, Galbadia had been beaten back luckily before Trabia had suffered too much damage, compared to the last assault the nation had launched against the smallest of the three Gardens at least.

Squall looked out from his position on the bridge, the three naval cruisers were some distance ahead, six reinforced steel cables attached to the base of the Garden as it hovered just above the water, taught as the cruisers towed the crippled SeeD structure.

"You did it."

He turned to smile at Rinoa who had returned after calling on their respective friends. She looked out at the scene before them before wrapping her small hands around his arm and rested her head against his shoulder.

"I knew you could." She added and he felt her squeeze tenderly.

"It's not over yet." He replied after he reached for and squeezed one of her hands back affectionately.

"I know." Rinoa stood straight once more and Squall turned to exiting the bridge leaving the controls in the capable hands of Trabia's headmaster. "So what now?" She asked, walking by his side, passing other Cadets and Faculty as they headed to the ground floor, using the now clear stairwell.

"We're heading to Balamb. I want her mobile just in case Galbadia feel bold enough to strike again. I've got a smaller craft commissioned to take us on to Balamb Island once we're close enough, the cruisers will take Trabia into Esthar's port for repair."

"Do you know what Laguna is going to do about the attack?"

"I don't." Squall sighed pausing in their walk to let a repair crew pass. While most of the work was going to be completed back at Esthar, the Trabia tech-team was eager to make a start and continued to do what they could. "He's angry, but he has to look at this from a political angle rather than a personal one."

"Of course." Rinoa looked worried. "I don't see how Galbadia are going to react to that; they've never answered any call for political talks in the past, unless it's suited them of course."

"This time it might, they run the risk of fighting a war they can't possibly hope to win after all. Garrik might very well give herself up to spare her country the scandal."

"She doesn't seem the type."

"No…she doesn't."

"What if it does lead to a war?" Rinoa asked when the silence stretched on and Squall paused in his walk, stopping just outside the Cafeteria and sighed.

"Then…SeeD will answer that call to arms."

Rinoa's dark eyes shone a moment before she shook her head and quickly looked away.

"And…you and everyone else I love will be on the front lines."

Squall looked down at the beauty before him and wished he had the nerve to put his arms around her, but he had a job to do first and foremost, he had to retain the image of professionalism, especially with so many Cadets around looking to him for leadership.

"Don't think about that now." He finally managed to say. "It might not even happen."

She nodded and after a moment she met his eyes again, smiling this time.

"You're right. Come on." She reached out and took his hand, seeing him fumble slightly as she promptly dragged him inside to get something to eat.

…

It was another six hours before they had gotten close enough to Balamb Town to use the landing craft. Squall and Zell piloted the smaller boat while Quistis, Hope, Rinoa and Irvine buckled up and enjoyed the ride.

"So…what's gonna happen to the _Ragnarok_?" Hope asked as he got up hanging onto the back of Squall's seat, obviously intrigued by the complex looking control systems of the boat.

"We salvaged what we could, but until we can figure out a way to neutralise or shield her from the interference in the area, she's stuck there I'm afraid." Squall explained, flicking a few switches before pulling the throttle back a little, reducing their speed as they neared the shore. He needed manoeuvrability now rather than speed to avoid the reefs and rocks in the shallower waters.

"Oh…" Hope seemed disappointed.

"Don't worry though. Laguna has already arranged another craft for us when we get back to Esthar."

"Really? How many does he have?"

"More than enough." Squall smiled as Hope giggled.

"What about Selphie…" Irvine's voiced joined in the conversation, though his tone was sombre and he never lifted his head enough so any one could see his eyes.

"Going back to Esthar, with Trabia." Rinoa offered, reaching out to touch her hand to Irvine's who simply held on to hers.

"She was a donor, wasn't she?" He asked, his voice breaking mid-sentence and Rinoa looked to Quistis as both Squall and Zell turned in their seats. The oldest of the group adjusted her glasses and nodded sadly.

"Yes, she was." The tall blond couldn't bring herself to lift her gaze from her hands. "I…I know it's not ideal but…"

"It's what she wanted." Irvine interrupted, surprising everyone. They all knew the score, they all knew what it meant to be a donor and that Selphie had been one of the first to sign up for the project. What they didn't expect was for Irvine to take it so well, because it meant, that there would be nothing more of their friend once her body was claimed by the Esthar Junction-Recycling Division.

Squall's brow furrowed, he understood Selphie's motives for committing her body to such a project, considering the crisis they faced with the ever decreasing magical energies of their world, but…he found it hard to accept that once her body was 'harvested' they wouldn't have anything to lay to rest. It just seemed wrong…

"I'd like to be there…when they do it though." Irvine continued, breaking the silence that had fell over them and Squall nodded, noticing Hope out of the corner of his eye and realising the lad wouldn't understand what they were talking about, since he wasn't native to their world.

"I'll make the arrangements." Squall promised. "They can spout protocol and policies till they're blue in the face. Anyone who wants to can be there when it happens."

"When what happens?" Hope asked Squall quietly as the Commander turned back to the controls. Zell shot them a look and Squall smiled back at the younger teen.

"I'll explain when we get to shore." He promised seeing the silver haired youth nod.

…

Hope splashed his way to the beach from the landing craft, while it had brought them most of the way, it couldn't quite make it to dry land which meant they had to get their feet wet. He envied his much taller friends who only had to wade shin deep towards the sandy beach, while Hope was submerged almost to his waist.

"Come on little dude!" Zell exclaimed and promptly picked Hope up, hoisting him onto his shoulders. Hope laughed and held on tight as Zell carried him the last few yards to the beach. From where they stood both Balamb Town and Balamb Garden where visible and as Zell put Hope back down, he turned to Squall, scrubbing the back of his head.

"Listen, Squall. If we're gonna be upping Garden and making her mobile, do…do you think I could…"

"Sure, Zell. Be back first thing. We'll be moving out then."

"Awesome, thanks man!" Zell slapped Squall's shoulder; the taller, serious looking youth just stared as his more excitable friend. "You guys should call in too; I know she'll be stoked to see you all."

"I don't-"

"Of course!" Rinoa interrupted Squall and Hope had to try hard not to giggle at the look on the Commander's face. "Lead the way, Zell."

"All right!" The blond took off at speed down the beach towards the port town, while Rinoa hooked an arm through Squall's and followed, Quistis doing likewise with a still very quiet Irvine, but the sniper didn't resist and simply followed, smiling a little at the scene they had just witnessed.

"Where are we going?" Hope asked, falling into step beside Squall, but it was Rinoa who answered.

"Zell's mother lives in Balamb Town."

"Is that…?"

"The town were we picked you up, yes." Squall clarified and Hope nodded.

"What about, what you were talking about on the boat?" He kept his voice down, noting Irvine and Quistis had fallen into a slower pace behind them and were busy talking amongst themselves.

"About Selphie?" Rinoa asked, her dark eyes growing sad and Hope nodded.

"Its…a process. When the magic drought first started, the world governments implemented restrictions on Junction use. When the crisis worsened, the scientific minds tried to look for other sources of the quickly diminishing resource. One way was to, harvest the energies still stored in those who had died."

Hope turned from Squall, his young mind slowly digesting what was being said.

"So, Selphie's body…is going to be harvested of the magic she might still have?"

"Yeah. The only real problem is, there won't be anything left of her. The procedure literally consumes the body, extracting the magical energies, leaving nothing else."

"So, you guys can't even…say goodbye properly." Hope couldn't help but think back to the moment he lost his mother, how she fell from that walkway to her death…Her body had never been recovered and even had she been, Hope wouldn't have ever been allowed to attend a funeral, to say goodbye, to get that closure. So now he was wandering on through his life still expecting to see her some days and not having anywhere to go to feel like he could be close to her again…

"Hope?" The young l'Cie lifted gaze seeing Rinoa knelt before him and he quickly wiped his eyes clear of the moisture that had started to gather there. "Hey, it's okay to be upset." The dark haired girl smiled and pulled him into a hug that he resisted at first, but she wasn't about to give up and he was easily over-powered.

He sighed and closed his eyes, giving up and resting his forehead against her shoulder.

"I'm sorry." He muttered as Rinoa's gentle hand brushed softly through his hair.

"Do you want to talk about it?" She asked pulling away and meeting his shy green eyes.

"Not really." He admitted and Rinoa nodded.

"Okay." She stood, but kept an arm around his shoulders, leading him on towards the town.

…

"Hey guys!" Zell called, "Mom wants to know if you want food."

The prospect of a hot meal meant that a unanimous decision was quickly reached, and Zell convinced Hope that he was welcome too, so Zell lead the way to his mother's house.

Ma Dincht, as Hope soon learned everyone called her, was a friendly woman, who emitted a caring aura to those around her. She hugged each member of the group as she spoke to them.

"Quistis, you're looking well. Leadership seems to agree with you." She hugged the young woman who Hope had started to view as the group's "big sister".

"Thanks, I'm getting better at it."

"Irvine, I'm sorry for Selphie, she was always welcome here. I'll miss her."

"We all will." Irvine spoke quietly as he responded.

"Squall, good to see you've not regressed back to your former self. I'm glad you now know the importance of friends. And you have no idea how worried I was when you were kidnapped."

"My friends helped me, thanks to them I survived. Thank you for the invitation." Squall cautiously returned the hug she gave him, still not used to such familiarity.

"Good to see you've recovered Rinoa," She hugged the brunette, "I was very worried for you."

"Thank you, I'm sorry to have worried you."

"Who's your new friend?"

Rinoa stepped aside, as she had been stood between Hope and Ma Dincht.

"Hi, I'm Hope," he bowed slightly from the waist, "I appreciate…"

He trailed off as he saw her face, causing Zell to look to his mother as her face turned white.

"Ma, what's wrong?"

"Get out! You're not welcome here, not after what you did!"

Hope felt scared, guilty, and confused all at once. What had he done to upset her?

"What are you talking about?" Squall asked without sounding too cold.

"Yeah Ma, he's been helping us against the Legion. He's…special."

"He is no such thing! I recognise that hair. He was here then. He was leading the attack when the Legion came through."

"That can't be," Squall stated, "We found him after the Legion had left, trying to help put out the fires. He had no idea what had happened to the Town but he tried to help anyway."

"He's right Ma," Zell added his support, "he nearly drowned after slipping on the dock once the fires were out. Squall and I got him out. He's been at Garden since."

"He's a bit crazy, but I trust him. In fact, most of us owe him our lives. Were it not for him, we wouldn't have taken out two of the five Legion Commanders and saved Squall from another of them." That was the most Irvine had said at once since they had found Selphie's body.

"Really?" Ma Dincht sounded confused, "Well, he doesn't have a mask, so maybe…"

"He helped me recover too." Rinoa chipped in, surprising everyone else.

Hope felt a little overwhelmed by what he was hearing, his friends rallying around him, to defend him but the words from Ma Dincht also made him feel uncomfortable, as he _did_ have a Legion mask, but it had been neutralised. But then where had it come from? He felt his breathing quicken as a series of images flashed into his head. They were rapid, vague, and confusing. _Rather like Anima's Focus Vision._ He thought as he staggered back, leaning against the wall for support, and trying to make sense of what he saw.

"_Get out!" Hope's head swam with the intensity of the scream, but what scared him the most was the vision of his friend as she sped towards him, Gunblade primed. "Just…LEAVE!" _

_The blade came up, partially penetrating the magical barrier Hope barely had time to cast._

_The power of her blow as it collided with the magical field around him caused a localised storm about the two, the flash of pure white…and the vision faded._

"W…Why would Light…attack me?" Hope muttered the question under his breath, but his sudden actions and the look in his eyes obviously concerned his friends and Ma Dincht, who backed away cautiously.

"You ok Hope?" Rinoa asked, reaching out to hold him by the shoulders.

"Yeah, sorry, I just got light headed for a second."

"I'm sorry Hope, I must be mistaken…" Ma Dincht added, but she didn't sound completely convinced of her own words, leaving Hope feeling like an intruder. "You are welcome to join us."

"Thank you."

…

The meal was absolutely glorious after weeks of eating nothing but ration packs, designed for nutrition alone, and Hope had repeatedly expressed his appreciation to the group for allowing him to join them. Zell's reply had nearly brought him to tears:

"You're one of us now little dude!" He had said, "So you'd best get used to working with us."

"Thanks, and it's no wonder you have such an appetite all the time Zell, if this is how well you eat!" Hope shot back, causing Zell to choke, and then laugh.

After eating, they had all shared in the task of clearing up. Hope was collecting the plates one by one and took them through to the kitchen sink were Ma Dincht proceeded to wash each one. Each time he returned with more, she thanked him, but her tone still remained cautious.

Hope scampered back and forth, while Squall and Rinoa dried and put away the now clean dinner plates. Zell and Irvine where busy folding away the collapsible table and in a matter of minutes they were done.

"Thank you for the meal, Ma. It was lovely." Quistis said cheerfully as she kissed the older woman on each cheek.

"You're all very welcome." The bubbly lady looked a little sad as she turned to Zell. "Do you have to go now?"

"No way, Ma. I can stay the night; don't have to be back till morning." He wrapped his arm around the short woman shoulders and Ma Dincht clasped a hand to her son's chest.

"That's wonderful. I'll make up your bed."

"Thanks for the meal." Squall said and placed a friendly kiss on her cheek, seeing Rinoa do the same. Irvine, who had barely touched the food on offer, even thanked her and Ma Dincht caught his arm before he could leave.

"Irvine, you look exhausted and you barely ate a thing."

"I'm fine, Ma." The sniper tipped his hat and winked.

"You're not." She said simply and the room fell deathly silent. "I know how much Selphie meant to you all, but the last thing she would want, was for you to torture yourself." The older lady brought both of her arms either side of the taller teen, who's chin fell once more to his chest and Hope was sure he saw the sparkle of a tear before the hat cast the rest of his face in shadow. "I've packed a container of the meal we had tonight, I want you to take it with you and at least try to eat some of it."

"I will try…" Irvine muttered, not lifting his head.

Hope didn't truly understand the pain Irvine was feeling, or at least he assumed as much, but he knew what loss felt like and he didn't know what he would do if it hadn't been for Light and the rest of his friends, who were now more like his family.

Another family he had lost…

"_You can always come back, Hope…" The voice drifted from some where close, Light's voice. Calm and soft, with an underlying authority and a poisoned tongue when challenged. "You can always join us again…" _

"Hope," The l'Cie jerked from his thoughts and turned to see Squall looking down at him. "Are you all right?"

"Y…yeah…why?"

"You look a little warm." By now Ma Dincht had returned from the kitchen and handed Quistis the tub of food she had packed for Irvine, she glanced across at the silver haired youth, as Squall held a hand to his forehead. "You're burning up." Squall lowered so he was now level with Hope.

"I feel okay." He tried to reassure them as the older lady now examined him for herself.

"You might be coming down with something…stay here tonight and get some rest. I can make up the couch."

"N…no that's…I don't want to intrude…"

"You're not!" Zell enthused. "It can be like, a sleep over."

"Isn't that what girls do?" Irvine quipped and everyone smiled, getting a brief glimpse of the kind of man he had been prior to Selphie's death. Clearly something Ma Dincht had said had struck the right chord.

"Whatever, cowboy." Zell rolled his eyes and Hope sat down.

"You'll be fine here." Squall said and Hope just nodded. "Zell will bring you back to Balamb Garden in the morning, just get some rest. It's been…a weird couple of weeks, hasn't it?"

"Understatement of the year." Hope replied dryly as Squall just ruffled his hair.

…

After Squall and the others left for Balamb, Hope took the chance to catch up on some sleep, having lain on the sofa while Zell quietly (or as quietly as it was possible for Zell to be) played on his computer games. Ma Dincht was busy preparing yet more food for Zell to take with him on his return to Garden and after an hour or so of sleep, Hope woke the temperature from before gone.

He couldn't understand where it had come from, and he wondered if it was linked with the sudden surge of visions and voices he was seeing and hearing respectively.

"Zell, why don't you and Hope go for some fresh air, you know how I hate to see you sat at those things all day." Hope had to smile at the look on Zell's face, as he stared at the back of his mother who was once again busy with some chore, oblivious to the days of work and the amount of fresh air both had been exposed to lately.

Zell just turned to Hope and shrugged.

"Come on then, buddy. I'll show you a few moves." Hope stood and padded after Zell as he led him to the end of the street and out of the town.

The outer town wall had been repaired now and the sign Hope remembered stepping over on that very first day was now where it should be, affixed to the archway above the main gate.

As promised Zell proceeded to show Hope a few of the basic martial arts moves, a punch a kick and the basic throw. He even allowed the younger teen to try and knock him down using the 'hip throw' and to Hope's surprise, it worked, though he got the impression Zell was perhaps overacting simply to make Hope feel like he had really done it.

Now they were practicing stances, using the shadows of them on the wall to gauge their form. It was a little strange for Hope to understand, but he played along none-the-less.

"Sorry about Ma, what she said before was…"

"Don't, please, it's not necessary. And…I'm not sure she's wrong."

Zell stopped his shadow boxing and turned to look at him:

"What are you saying?"

"When she accused me, I had a…flash…I guess, of memories. Things that I had apparently forgotten. One of them was Light attacking me, and I dived into one of the Legion's mist portals to escape her. After that, I found myself near here, and you know what happened next."

Zell had sat down, leaning back against the town's outer wall, so Hope did the same.

"So you were a Legion Commander? Rin said that you were meant to be."

"I don't know. I think I may have been, before Alexander's Holy power freed me. But I can't recall what I did before waking up near here."

"Maybe you _shouldn't_ think about it." Zell grinned.

Hope looked to Zell, and even in the fading light he could tell the older teen was serious.

"Maybe…" he conceded, "It's sometimes easier to remember things when you don't think about them anyway." Hope shot Zell a grin. "That's pretty good advice coming from a guy who doesn't usually think at all."

"Yeah, don't tell anyone ok? I have a reputation to think of."

Hope placed his hand over his heart, hoping this world had the same gesture.

"I promise to keep this between us."

"Appreciate it." Zell drawled, and if his voice hadn't been deeper, he would have thought Fang was talking to him.

"Come on; let's get back, no offence but you look beat, kiddo."

Hope nodded:

"I didn't sleep much on the trip back, those bunks really are basics." He rubbed his back as if to emphasise the point of just how uncomfortable he had been.

"They are," Zell agreed, "And I can't promise the sofa is any better, we've had it years. It might even be older than you."

"I don't care; it has to be more comfortable than those bunks."

_He looked around, wondering how he had got to wherever he currently was. All he could see in any direction was whiteness, as if he were standing in the middle of a fog cloud. He couldn't even see any grass like he remembered seeing when he had first ended up in this world._

"_Hello?" He called out._

_A patch of orange flashed up in his peripheral vision, so he spun to face it, only to stop, shocked at the sight of:_

"_You answered again!" Vanille grinned happily, her strong hug nearly causing him to choke. This time however, she was more restrained and released him after a few seconds._

"_I don't understand; what do you mean by "answered". I've never heard or seen you after removing your mask other than here."_

"_Fang too! We're both awake now, thanks to you."_

"_Awake. You said that last time, and you mentioned a nightmare." Hope stated._

_He didn't like being so blunt, he was thrilled to see her again, but he wanted, no, he needed answers and Vanille seemed to be the only person who had them and wouldn't drug him in exchange for telling him._

"_Yes, we still don't know who, but someone snatched us away when we did what we set out to do. They put us on that world, and converted us to be their puppets, using the masks to corrupt us and draw out our darker natures."_

_This was the most serious Hope had ever seen her, and given what they had gone though, and she had stayed cheerful and upbeat through most of that, that was saying something big._

"_Ok, so why am I different?"_

"_We think it is Alexander. His power is that of Holy, which can defeat darkness and corruption. That seems to be why you are free, but we remained trapped."_

""_Remained"?" Hope quizzed, "So I was…like you?"_

"_Yes," Vanille smiled sadly, "At first you wore the mask and were completely under 'Mothers' control..."_

"'_Mother'?" Hope shook his head._

"_I don't know who or what it is, it's not a woman and it's not even a man. All I know is that's what it asked us to call it."_

"_So, what happened? How come I snapped out of it?"_

"_It was…during the attack you led on Balamb…you felt, ashamed and started to question why." Vanille smiled kindly as Hope's eyes widened with the implications. "You saw the pain and destruction caused and you hated it, your mask changed then, you stopped the attack and returned to us, to try and convince us of the truth." Vanille shook her head sadly and paced slowly. "We didn't listen, couldn't see anything other than what our masks wanted us to. Mother's word was absolute and she ordered us to neutralise you. You resisted…"_

_They both jumped at the sound of thunder close by, and Vanille looked panicky when she lifted her face from her hands:_

"_I'm running out of time again! Hope, don't give up. Whatever you do, don't let the Legion win!"_

_A shimmering light emerged at her feet and began to swallow her petite form, like the last time._

"_If you can free the others, whatever is behind this will have nothing left to hide behind."_

_As it passed over her long slender legs, dissolving her boots in the process, her skin turned a silvery-blue and became semi-opaque._

"_Not from our world anyway!" She was desperate to say what she had to say now as the light changed not only her form, but her clothes were wished away. Again, she was turning to crystal, as if her Focus was complete._

"_Free them Hope," She smiled this time as the transformation reached her neck, "Free them and the war they are fighting is practically won."_

"_I will," Hope vowed to her, returning her bright smile, "No matter the cost, I'll free them."_

_He looked at the crystallised effigy of his friend, and closed his eyes as lightning struck close by, blasting him away from her._

He shot awake, barely noticing his precarious position until he fell from the sofa and landed with a crack and a thud on the floor. Grunting at the sudden pain from his wrist, which had been below him as he fell, he managed to sit up and cast a strong Cure on it, mending the damaged bones, tendons, and muscles in a matter of seconds. The green glow was so bright that it lit up the entire room, and nearly blinded him.

When it faded, he looked to the window and noticed that the sky was starting to lighten: sunrise was approaching. Picking the sheet up from the floor, he sat on the edge of the sofa and tried to recall what Vanille had told him.

_So I was one of the Legion. Rinoa was right and it seems like Caplin was too. Does that mean…?_

His thoughts froze in place as he suddenly realised that he could remember _everything_ that had happened from when he woke up with a mask on his face in a cavernous chamber, surrounded by his five fellow l'Cie. Each of them had a mask that their eyes and nose, all designed to resemble their individual Eidolons…

He felt dizzy and sick, as the door in his mind that had been closed for so long finally sprung loose, and the knowledge that had been concealed behind it flowed freely into his consciousness.

It was all true…he could see…and smell the people he had hurt…burning…

He had…

"Oh no…" He breathed and held his head, swaying as he climbed to his feet, not realising his tumble and calls had alerted the rest of the household and Zell came padding down the stairs.

…

"Hope," Zell shook the younger male trying to break him out of his funk, "Hope, come on little dude you're scaring me."

Hope suddenly jumped away as if shocked, seemingly not caring that he hit his knee on the small table near the sofa at the same time.

"She was right…that girl…no wonder she…I did….it was wrong, but I…so many hurt…all my fault…how could I…"

He was concerned by Hope's rambling, but didn't pay attention to the words: instead he grabbed him by the shoulders and shook him as hard as he dare.

"Hope! Snap out of it. You're safe here."

That seemed to work, the focus came back to his eyes and he looked at Zell with a mix of fear, guilt, and sadness.

"Don't touch me!" He snarled, which scared Zell more than his rambling, "I'm not safe! Everything I touch ends up…"

"HOPE!" He shouted, causing Ma Dincht to run into the room as well, "Slow down. What's wrong?"

Hope's eyes turned to Ma Dincht, and his face fell.

"I'm so sorry. You were right. It was me. I'm sorry!"

He shook Zell's hands off, and ran for the door and Zell didn't waste any time in running after him.

"Ma, call Squall, quick!" He ordered before running from the house in nothing but his slippers and shorts. He had to catch the kid, something was so very wrong and Zell got the impression from the bits he had been able to understand that it had something to do with the attack on Balamb.

He was now wishing he hadn't extended the invitation to dinner, but there absolutely no way any of them could have known what Hope was…

No!

_Had been._

As far as Zell was concerned, Hope was one of them now.

Zell rounded the corner and caught sight of Hope as he fled through the main gate and quickly sprinted off after him, Hope was fast, but Zell had the longer stride and raw power that came from years of training and he soon caught up to the distraught youth. He grabbed him by the collar of the shirt and pulled him to a stop, taking firmer hold of his arms and all Hope could do was scream and cry out his frustrations.

Zell shook his head, not sure what to do as Hope again started to ramble about how sorry he was, very real tears pouring from his eyes.

"Come on, buddy. You know you've got nothing to be sorry about."

"Yes I do!" Hope shouted, feebly trying to pull free. "I killed people! I burned them! I remember it all!"

Zell frowned and while it scared him to the Island Closest to Hell and back, he still stood by his earlier internal conclusion.

"Listen to me." Zell gently shook Hope until he quieted. "I don't know what you did exactly while under the masks control and I don't care. All I know is that, everything you have done _since _then has been nothing short of a miracle." Hope blinked tearfully, his breathing having calmed a little. "Look at the people you've saved. Remember the good you've done, because you were _strong enough_ to resist that freaky magic and _fight! _Don't stop now, buddy…"

When Hope nodded Zell pulled him in, hugging him loosely but with no less affection. He absently rubbed Hope's back and after giving him a minute he spoke again.

"You all right now?"

He felt a nod and Zell pulled away.

"Well, good." He shot Hope a sceptical look as he wiped his eyes and then his nose. "Just remember what I said about my reputation." He joked, but unknown to the pair; another had been watching the scene.

"Do not worry," Hope seemed to freeze and picking up on the bad vibes he was getting off his little friend, Zell quickly stood and pushed Hope behind him, moving to protect him and facing the dark haired man dressed in white and blue. "Your reputation is in good hands, since neither of you will be around to tell anyone otherwise."

"Raines…" Hope muttered the familiar name from his position behind Zell's legs, while Zell scowled at this Raines, knowing the name well.

"You're the bastard that got Selphie killed!" He snarled and he felt his anger bubble over.

"Zell, don't he's…" Hope's voice was drowned out by the blood pumping furiously in his ears and he stood ready, fists clenched, feet slightly apart…as Cid Raines drew his long blade and charged.


End file.
